We have found that the roads that parallel the highways in Montana are called Frontage Roads. The frontage road that is sometimes beside I-15, sometimes beside the Missouri River and sometimes beside both is also known as Recreation Road and was once Old US 91. It is confusing but once you are on this road, you won't care what it is called. It is just a beautiful winding road which crosses back and forth across the river and under the highway. Craig, where we are staying, is about a quarter of the way from Holter Dam to Cascade. This is the section of the river where all the activity is and as you drive along you see many fishermen wading in the shallows or being guided in dory-like boats down the river.
Along this thirty-five miles of river are a number of places with fishing access, some with ramps, some you have to carry a boat into and many that you can camp in for free. They are just gravel parking lots with no facilities except a pit toilet but the fact you can be beside the water with incredible views would make it worth it. The weather being in the mid nineties, though, make us not so willing to take advantage of these BLM (Bureau of Land Management) campgrounds. Actually, with virtually no humidity, the ninety degree weather feels pretty good.
We first headed south (up river) crossing the Wolf Creek Bridge and following the dirt road on the right side of the river to the campground by Holter Dam. This BLM campground has electricity but we decided we wouldn't want to drive the motorhome over the very rough 2.3 mile dirt road.
We returned to the bridge and took the paved road on the other side of the bridge to the lake. We followed this road stopping along the way to check out the river access. While we were there, two beautifully restored street rods went by that we later were able to get photos of. We checked out the first BLM park on the lake and there were some really nice sites there. We didn't park and look around as the fee was $2.50 and all we had were big bills and no change. We are so used to using plastic and need to have a stash of cash on hand for things like this. Duh!!
The road follows the lake for about five miles eventually turning to dirt before arriving at another camping area and boat ramp. It was a really winding road but all along it there were what looked like private lots with RVs hooked up for the season. It is hilly country beside the lake and trailers, fifth wheels and motorhomes were tucked in everywhere along with some pretty incredible homes. It is a beautiful lake just south of the Gates of the Mountain where we had taken a boat tour back in early June with Bill and Lois when we were in Helena.
We turned and drove back to Wolf Creek Bridge and Old US 91 turning north. We followed this road back past Craig and all the way to Cascade stopping to check out all or almost all the access points. It was a beautiful day and we took our time taking about four or five hours to do however many miles of corresponding road there was for thirty-five miles of river. We also stopped at Tower Rock State Park. This small park preserves the tall monolith that Lewis and Clark named on their journey west. It is the first really tall cliff along the Missouri that they came to after being in the prairie for so long. North of Tower Rock (down river) the hills get smaller and the sky opens up. South of Tower Rock (up river) the sheer canyons begin.
We stopped in Cascade for gas, which at twenty miles away is the closest to Craig, and to pick up a few items at the market. We took the highway back to Craig stopping at the turnout that we had stopped at in early June. It had much more meaning to us this time as we could see one of the bridges in the distance that we had crossed on our way to Cascade as well as the back side of the cliffs we had just passed. We returned in time to barbecue for dinner and made an early night of it.
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| Craig, Montana |
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| Usually the Guide is in the Center Rowing |
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| Mountain Palace Fishing Access |
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| View From Mountain Palace |
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| Prewitt Creek Access and Free Camping |
We first headed south (up river) crossing the Wolf Creek Bridge and following the dirt road on the right side of the river to the campground by Holter Dam. This BLM campground has electricity but we decided we wouldn't want to drive the motorhome over the very rough 2.3 mile dirt road.
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| Road to Holter Dam |
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| Holter Dam |
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| Campground by Dam - People Fishing |
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| View From Campground |
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| The Road to the Lake was Much Better Than the Dirt One on the Other Side |
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| First Campground is in Trees at Left |
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| Sweet!! |
The road follows the lake for about five miles eventually turning to dirt before arriving at another camping area and boat ramp. It was a really winding road but all along it there were what looked like private lots with RVs hooked up for the season. It is hilly country beside the lake and trailers, fifth wheels and motorhomes were tucked in everywhere along with some pretty incredible homes. It is a beautiful lake just south of the Gates of the Mountain where we had taken a boat tour back in early June with Bill and Lois when we were in Helena.
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| Big Trailer with Covered Porch |
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| Campers Scattered Across the Land |
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| The Road Got Rougher and Windier |
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| View From Second Campground |
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| One of the Sights We Saw - Longhorn Sheep |
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| Tower Rock |
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| Landscape Below (North of) Tower Rock |
We stopped in Cascade for gas, which at twenty miles away is the closest to Craig, and to pick up a few items at the market. We took the highway back to Craig stopping at the turnout that we had stopped at in early June. It had much more meaning to us this time as we could see one of the bridges in the distance that we had crossed on our way to Cascade as well as the back side of the cliffs we had just passed. We returned in time to barbecue for dinner and made an early night of it.
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